Today’s scripture: John 9:13-41 (NRSV) (The Message) (KJV) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Julie Walsh):
In my religious upbringing we didn’t have people dancing in the aisles. There were no altar calls. No one spoke in tongues and there was no such thing as being slain in the spirit. In my eyes, anyone who engaged in these silly rituals were surely nut cases for Jesus. I was convinced that these acts were reserved for self-centered attention seekers who were out to prove that they were more Christian than their peers.
I carried this skepticism with me every year to our denominational conferences. The annual Friday night healing service consisted primarily of music, including the most contemplative songs that I adored, and provided a safe place where attendees could come forward for intercessory prayer. My mood was as predictable as the service. I was able to devote half of my attention to moving worship songs, but the other half of my attention was stolen away. I became preoccupied by the spectacle of people falling out during prayer. This did not seem like a genuine phenomenon of being slain in the spirit and it was my perception that the people laying on the floor were all faking it.
One year at conference, I attended a workshop that focused on our personal hangups with Christian language, concepts, and practices. We were directed to circle five terms on the page that really rubbed us the wrong way. Not surprisingly, I found myself circling terms like “washed in the blood” and “slain in the spirit.”
Later that evening, the annual healing service took place and for the first time I decided to request prayers of healing for a physical ailment I had been dealing with. Firm in my convictions and fully aware of the “shenanigans” that often took place, I was convinced that I was simply humbling myself for prayer only.
With a circle of friends surrounding me, I lifted to God the words that the woman was praying over me. Then I felt the woman gently push me. Aha! I thought, I was right! and firmly planted my feet on the ground. The prayer-giver’s words continued and I refocused on hope and healing. I was drawn into the prayer.
Then in the blink of an eye, I was on the floor. A holy warmth and tingling washed over my body like nothing I had ever before experienced. I don’t remember the journey from my feet to the ground or what the praying woman had even said.
I don’t think the blind man in today’s passage could have ever expected that anyone in a million years would have been able to heal him of his blindness, so when he was questioned over and over by the other skeptics, he could simply witness to what he did know. Once he was blind, but now he could see. At the same time, he was probably aware that he was sounding like a nut case for Jesus, but he had to put all of that aside and speak the truth, regardless of his own fear of the consequences.
We often approach our spiritual experiences with preconceived notions, but sometimes the Holy Spirit intervenes and challenges us to step outside our comfort zone to embrace a new reality. Do not plant your feet so firmly on the ground that you are unable to move when the Spirit calls. If we are changing and growing in every other area of our lives, then our spiritual and religious views are bound to change and grow as well!
Thought for the day: When our experience challenges our theology, then it is often our theology that has to go.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.